June 26

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Omescape – The Penitentiary

Posted by on June 26, 2015 in Markham | Leave a comment

Omescape is located in Markham, just near the 404 – Steeles exit.  We’ve been back a few times to try their new games and the Penitentiary seems to be their last game for now.  We knew ahead of time this would be one of the more difficult rooms so we brought our “A” team EGR’s Team Mardi, Malan and Kayphen.  We were greeted by Gamemaster Kenny and his staff to pick up where we left off.  It seemed Omescape was more bustling and busy than from our first visit, which was great to see.

To read more about our Omescape experiences you can read our original review.

Creativity and Design (aka its Fancy level): – Was it inventive ? Did it fit the theme?
Score : 4.5-5.0 of 5.0

The Penitentiary is definitely up to Omescape’s standard of quality.  The room doesn’t cheap out on props or on the set itself.  The parts of the room that are integrated with the puzzles are solid and clever.  There was one item that doesn’t quite fit the theme, but is explained in the story (although to me it feels like it was wedged in there, but still a fun component). The Penitentiary isn’t a prison in the traditional sense, but it is definitely on the higher end of production value.  Overall it was a great room.


Bells and Whistles: Was it just lockboxes throughout the Room?
Score: 5.0 of 5.0

The one thing you can count on Omescape for is their polished tech.  The prison doesn’t disappoint our high expectations as it delivers with both creative and immersive tech.  There was one component that requires equal parts brains and elbow grease, which we felt was a clever implementation.  With that component alone they could have spun it into an entirely different theme.

Intuitive (aka Frustration Level):  Was it solvable? or Did you have to be inside the creators mind to solve it?
Score: 5.0 of 5.0

We should probably note that we brought our “A” team who all have varied specialties (which made this room somewhat straightforward).  Our group was only stuck on the task-based puzzles, which from my memory was about 3-4 puzzles.  I would highly recommend you bring a larger group who like both regular and task-based puzzles and aren’t afraid of a challenge.  With all that being said, there were no major logical leaps and enough direction to lead you to escape.  I would rate the difficulty somewhere between 7-9 out of 10.


Staff Support/Price : Were they friendly? Were they helpful? What was the Damage?

The staff and gamemasters are always a pleasure to chat with.  We’re glad to see things seem to be going well for Omescape and hope that business continues to do well.

The current price structure has many add-ons.  Its $26.95/person (Mon-Thurs), 29.95/Person (Weekends) for just the escape room.  You can also go with the optional weekend boardgame pass for 8.95 which includes a drink (7.95 on weekdays).  Or the complete package, which is the escape room + drink + boardgame pass for 33.95 on the weekends (or 30.95 weeknights).  There is also a $5 discount if you check-in on Facebook.

Overall:  Omescape hits another homerun with the Penitentiary.  We’re sad to see this may be the last game for the next little while  To fully enjoy their room, bring your “A” Team and get ready to have some fun.

For more information check out:
http://www.omescape.ca/
Unit 7, 7501 Woodbine Ave
Markham, ON  L3R 2W1
905-695-9556